After 20 long years, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) returns home, washed up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and scarred beyond recognition. The king has finally returned from the Trojan War, but his kingdom is no longer the one he left behind.
His wife, Queen Penelope (Juliette Binoche), remains faithfully waiting, though she is a prisoner within her own palace, pressured by suitors who seek her hand—and her throne. Their son, Telemachus, now nearly a man himself, faces danger from these suitors, who view him as an obstacle to their ambitions.
Odysseus, too, is changed; no longer the unbreakable warrior of old, he must summon all his strength to reclaim what he has lost.
‘The Return’ was announced as part of the Gala section at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and will be presented as part of the British Film Festival November 6 to December 8, supported by the Greek Community of Melbourne. A special screening of ‘The return’ of Odysseus will be held by the Ithacan Historical Society on November 10 at 7.15pm at Como Palace in South Yarra.
Celebrated director Uberto Pasolini brings Homer’s Odyssey to the big screen, reuniting The English Patient stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. The British-Italian co-production, channels the emotional complexity and steely resolve of the Greek epic, delivering a fresh but authentic retelling that blends ancient myth with the depth of modern storytelling.
The film opens with Odysseus (Fiennes) washed ashore on his home island of Ithaca after two decades away—having endured the Trojan War and a long, arduous journey back. Fiennes portrays a deeply weathered Odysseus, his body and mind scarred from years of battle and survival, while his faithful wife, Queen Penelope (Binoche), has waited all this time, resisting pressure from an assembly of increasingly insistent suitors. Their son, Telemachus (Charlie Plummer), raised without his father, has grown frustrated and disillusioned, doubting his father’s return and growing fearful for his mother’s safety as the pressure on her to remarry intensifies.
A UK-Italian co-production, benefits from Pasolini’s unique vision, informed by his experience with character-focused dramas such as Nowhere Special and Still Life. Here, Pasolini transitions effortlessly from modern, quiet narratives to the bold scope of Homer’s world, skillfully preserving the mythological archetypes while grounding the characters’ emotions in realism.
The result is a film with lavish visuals, taut pacing, and finely crafted sequences that capture the tension, desperation, and longing at the heart of Homer’s original tale.
Fiennes and Binoche deliver performances that anchor the film, imbuing their characters with intensity and vulnerability. Every gaze between Odysseus and Penelope conveys years of longing and silent understanding, while each measured word underscores the gravity of their reunion and the challenges ahead. Plummer’s Telemachus, caught between resentment and reverence, adds a contemporary touch, portraying a young man uncertain of his place in his father’s legendary shadow.
With its thoughtful adaptation, The Return offers a hypnotic gaze into ancient Greece, presenting the timeless themes of loyalty, love, and resilience through a distinctly modern lens.
Pasolini’s assured direction, combined with the performances of Fiennes, Binoche, and Plummer, creates a cinematic experience that feels both intimate and epic—a testament to the endurance of Homer’s masterpiece. Two of the producers are Greek, Giorgos Karnavas and Konstantinos Kontovravkis and the film began production in Greece in the spring of 2023, with principal photography in the regions of Corfu and the Peloponnese, before continuing on to locations in Italy. Filming had wrapped in Corfu by June 2023.
For information and tickets: https://britishfilmfestival.com.au/films/bff24-the-return